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If California legalizes and regulates online poker, the market could generate revenue between $217 million and $263 million in its first year of operations and up to $384 million in year ten, according to a new study by Academicon and PokerScout.
The researchers analyzed data on 4.6 million real money online poker players in 2009 and 2010, near the peak of unregulated poker in the U.S. They found that 178,300 online poker players in California generated an average of $867 per year in revenue for the poker operators, creating a $155 million market. California players accounted for 16% of U.S. revenue and 4% of worldwide revenue in online poker.
"Under regulation, online poker is expected to grow well beyond its previous peak," says Professor Kahlil Philander, one of the authors of the study.
California is the single largest market in the U.S. and can sustain a flourishing market on its own. However, as the other author of the study, Dr. Ingo Fiedler, points out, "The size of the market depends strongly on the decision to either limit the player pool to in-state residents or participate in a federal or international network of players."
In the event of a California-only player pool, revenue is expected to grow from $217 million in the first year of operations to $263 million in year ten – about $120 million below its potential. The study further points out that taxes will have an important impact on the market size.
Read more here: New Study: California Online Poker Market Worth up to $384 Million - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee
The researchers analyzed data on 4.6 million real money online poker players in 2009 and 2010, near the peak of unregulated poker in the U.S. They found that 178,300 online poker players in California generated an average of $867 per year in revenue for the poker operators, creating a $155 million market. California players accounted for 16% of U.S. revenue and 4% of worldwide revenue in online poker.
"Under regulation, online poker is expected to grow well beyond its previous peak," says Professor Kahlil Philander, one of the authors of the study.
California is the single largest market in the U.S. and can sustain a flourishing market on its own. However, as the other author of the study, Dr. Ingo Fiedler, points out, "The size of the market depends strongly on the decision to either limit the player pool to in-state residents or participate in a federal or international network of players."
In the event of a California-only player pool, revenue is expected to grow from $217 million in the first year of operations to $263 million in year ten – about $120 million below its potential. The study further points out that taxes will have an important impact on the market size.
Read more here: New Study: California Online Poker Market Worth up to $384 Million - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee
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In the USA there are a number of organizations that are lobbying the Federal government in Congress to legalize various forms of online gambling. The American Gaming Association is one of those groups seeking approval from the leaders of the nation on Capital Hill.
The board of the American Gaming Association includes Bally Technologies, Inc., MGM Resorts International; International Game Technology, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Caesars Entertainment Corp., Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., Boyd Gaming Corporation and Penn National Gaming, Inc.
Now three more industry heavy weights have joined the cause with Wynn Resorts, Station Casinos and Churchill Downs Inc. putting their support on the table. The new President and Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Freeman, commented on the expansion of the lobby efforts in Washington D.C. “This is a critical step in the AGA’s evolution as a representative of the entire gaming industry,” Freeman continued, “We will continue to be passionate advocates for the enormous value the gaming industry provides and there is increasing support for our agenda.”
The Association is not quite one hundred percent behind the idea of legalized online poker across America because of one dissenting member. The Las Vegas Sands whose owner, Sheldon Adelson, says he is committed to bringing down online gambling in the USA. The three new members will hopefully outweigh any efforts Adelson may impose on the progress of new Federal legislation.
Many of the AGA members are already committed to online gambling and internet poker in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. Putting their support behind the move to make online poker legal federally can only benefit their operations. The key personnel taking positions on the AGA board are expected to include Station chairman Frank Fertitta III and Wynn chairman Steve Wynn.
AGA Federal Lobby for Online Poker Gains Three Members
The board of the American Gaming Association includes Bally Technologies, Inc., MGM Resorts International; International Game Technology, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Caesars Entertainment Corp., Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada, Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., Boyd Gaming Corporation and Penn National Gaming, Inc.
Now three more industry heavy weights have joined the cause with Wynn Resorts, Station Casinos and Churchill Downs Inc. putting their support on the table. The new President and Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Freeman, commented on the expansion of the lobby efforts in Washington D.C. “This is a critical step in the AGA’s evolution as a representative of the entire gaming industry,” Freeman continued, “We will continue to be passionate advocates for the enormous value the gaming industry provides and there is increasing support for our agenda.”
The Association is not quite one hundred percent behind the idea of legalized online poker across America because of one dissenting member. The Las Vegas Sands whose owner, Sheldon Adelson, says he is committed to bringing down online gambling in the USA. The three new members will hopefully outweigh any efforts Adelson may impose on the progress of new Federal legislation.
Many of the AGA members are already committed to online gambling and internet poker in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. Putting their support behind the move to make online poker legal federally can only benefit their operations. The key personnel taking positions on the AGA board are expected to include Station chairman Frank Fertitta III and Wynn chairman Steve Wynn.
AGA Federal Lobby for Online Poker Gains Three Members
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Nevada’s online poker market is almost forgotten now that New Jersey has launched its online gambling sites. Currently, Nevada has only two licensed online poker rooms—WSOP-com and Ultimate Poker, and as the market matures, the traffic to both sites continues to fall. While a third Nevada online poker room might create fresh excitement and more traffic, Nevada residents appear to be bored with the subject of online poker.
Three companies might launch online poker rooms in Nevada in the near future—Z4 Poker, South Point Poker, and All American Poker Network (AAPN). David Colvin is the owner of both Z4 and its partner Siena Hotel Spa, which is based in Reno. Although Caesars has casino properties in Reno, they do not accept cash deposits for WSOP-com. On the other hand, Station Casinos, which owns the Ultimate Poker brand, does not have any property in Reno. This puts Z4 at a slight advantage over Ultimate Poker and WSOP-com and might help the brand get more traffic from North Nevada.
South Point Poker, which has partnered with Real Gaming, is a brand belonging to South Point, which recently launched sports betting apps in Nevada in partnership with Cannery and Rampart, two local casinos. Although the company’s sports betting app is excellent, this does not guarantee the success of any online poker platform it might launch.
The AAPN belongs to 888, which has formed partnership deals with Treasure Island, Golden Gaming, and Wynn. While Golden Gaming is capable of attracting local people, Wynn and Treasure Island are not brands that appeal to local players in Nevada. Besides, one of the biggest disadvantages of 888 is that its software is not compatible with the WSOP software, preventing players from opening both sites simultaneously.
An online poker consultant in Nevada recently revealed the idea that local players are worth more to Nevada’s online poker rooms than tourists. Customers who are able to play consistently from home definitely have a greater lifetime value than visitors who do so only at peak times. Besides, those who travel all the way to Nevada just to play poker online are professionals who win all the time, which is damaging to the state’s online poker ecosystem.
In future, Nevada might be an attractive place for startups who want to show that proprietary software can also become successful. Lawmakers could also approve products made within the country and capable of generating jobs for local people.
Future of Online Poker in Nevada
Three companies might launch online poker rooms in Nevada in the near future—Z4 Poker, South Point Poker, and All American Poker Network (AAPN). David Colvin is the owner of both Z4 and its partner Siena Hotel Spa, which is based in Reno. Although Caesars has casino properties in Reno, they do not accept cash deposits for WSOP-com. On the other hand, Station Casinos, which owns the Ultimate Poker brand, does not have any property in Reno. This puts Z4 at a slight advantage over Ultimate Poker and WSOP-com and might help the brand get more traffic from North Nevada.
South Point Poker, which has partnered with Real Gaming, is a brand belonging to South Point, which recently launched sports betting apps in Nevada in partnership with Cannery and Rampart, two local casinos. Although the company’s sports betting app is excellent, this does not guarantee the success of any online poker platform it might launch.
The AAPN belongs to 888, which has formed partnership deals with Treasure Island, Golden Gaming, and Wynn. While Golden Gaming is capable of attracting local people, Wynn and Treasure Island are not brands that appeal to local players in Nevada. Besides, one of the biggest disadvantages of 888 is that its software is not compatible with the WSOP software, preventing players from opening both sites simultaneously.
An online poker consultant in Nevada recently revealed the idea that local players are worth more to Nevada’s online poker rooms than tourists. Customers who are able to play consistently from home definitely have a greater lifetime value than visitors who do so only at peak times. Besides, those who travel all the way to Nevada just to play poker online are professionals who win all the time, which is damaging to the state’s online poker ecosystem.
In future, Nevada might be an attractive place for startups who want to show that proprietary software can also become successful. Lawmakers could also approve products made within the country and capable of generating jobs for local people.
Future of Online Poker in Nevada
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Recent polling from Reason-Rupe confirms that a majority of Americans do not oppose online poker regulation.
Reason-Rupe surveyed over 1,000 Americans on a variety of topics, including the question:
Do you think the government should prohibit people from gambling in online poker games, or should the government allow people to do this?
65% responded “allow” while 32% chose “prohibit.” The remaining respondents chose “don’t know” or declined to answer.
The poll offers a sharp rebuke to research conducted by Sheldon Adelson, which purported to show majority opposition to online gambling regulation in the United States.
Full results and methodological information for the December 2013 Reason-Rupe public opinion survey are available here.
Reason-Rupe poll supports OPR polling conclusions
The results of the Reason-Rupe poll parallel results from a similar poll conducted by OPR in early December.
In that poll, we asked Americans for their opinion of regulating online poker. As with the Reason-Rupe poll, we found that roughly a third of Americans exhibit opposition to the regulation of online poker.
Guess How Many Americans Support Online Poker Regulation
Reason-Rupe surveyed over 1,000 Americans on a variety of topics, including the question:
Do you think the government should prohibit people from gambling in online poker games, or should the government allow people to do this?
65% responded “allow” while 32% chose “prohibit.” The remaining respondents chose “don’t know” or declined to answer.
The poll offers a sharp rebuke to research conducted by Sheldon Adelson, which purported to show majority opposition to online gambling regulation in the United States.
Full results and methodological information for the December 2013 Reason-Rupe public opinion survey are available here.
Reason-Rupe poll supports OPR polling conclusions
The results of the Reason-Rupe poll parallel results from a similar poll conducted by OPR in early December.
In that poll, we asked Americans for their opinion of regulating online poker. As with the Reason-Rupe poll, we found that roughly a third of Americans exhibit opposition to the regulation of online poker.
Guess How Many Americans Support Online Poker Regulation
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Poker websites have started accepting bitcoin from U.S. players to skirt federal legislation that makes it illegal to transfer funds associated with illegal Internet gambling, at a time when bitcoin advocates are striving to distance the virtual currency from illegal activities.
The move to bitcoin in online poker started after the Department of Justice seized three of the biggest poker websites in the U.S. on April 15, 2011, a day known as Black Friday in the poker community. Bitcoin poker has gained momentum this year alongside the expanding profile and rising price of bitcoin, open-source software that has been heralded as both a virtual currency and protocol for payments. Bitcoin started the year trading around $13 and surged above $1,000 in late November.
Federal authorities aren’t sure if it’s a currency, a security, or something else altogether. Designation aside, bitcoin is increasingly used in very traditional purchases, from buying a house to getting a beer, and lately, playing a few hands of Texas Hold ‘em.
Patrick, a 24-year-old graduate student who plays poker online through the bitcoin poker website SealsWithClubs and who asked for his last name to be withheld, became interested in bitcoin after online poker’s Black Friday.
“A lot of us were looking for an alternative and bitcoin seemed like the next logical move because of the nature of the payment processing,” he said. “[It’s] instant, fairly anonymous, can be used in a number of fairly interesting ways.”
Bitcoin advocates such as the Winklevoss twins and Jeremy Allaire, chief executive of the bitcoin company Circle Internet Financial, have sought to portray bitcoin as a technology that will revolutionize the transfer of money, akin to how the Internet transformed the way information is shared. Bitcoin companies have lined up venture capital funding from well-established names like Accel Partners, Union Square Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. And there’s cautious optimism from U.S. regulators. At a Senate hearing in November , a Treasury official said that cash, not bitcoin, is still “the best medium” for money laundering, a statement that seemed to move the digital currency out of law enforcement’s crosshairs. New York bank regulators are considering allowing a license for companies that want to use virtual currencies such as bitcoin.
Two of the most notable federal closures this year of virtual-currency businesses — Silk Road , a bitcoin-only online drug market, and alleged money-laundering site Liberty Reserve — have gone a long way to whitewash its reputation.
Yet bitcoin’s unsavory association with illegal activities refuses to disappear even as its proponents take it closer toward the financial mainstream. A second version of Silk Road has appeared. And the so-called anarchist wing of the bitcoin world has rallied against what they see as increased regulation. Cody Wilson , better known as the creator of the 3-D-printed gun, has lambasted government regulation as a “straitjacket” for bitcoin and launched a crowdfunding campaign to create a service that would make bitcoin transactions more anonymous.
‘No banking. Only bitcoin.’
The online poker sites embrace this connection with a world that operates without the blessing or even direct interaction with traditional financial institutions. The SealsWithClubs website has a banner that proclaims “No banking. Only bitcoin.” The homepage greets users with a scantily clad woman holding the word “upgraded” surrounded by poker chips emblazoned with the letter “B” for bitcoin.
The bitcoin poker website Satoshi Poker, which was founded in 2013, features a photo of person wearing the Guy Fawkes, V is for Vendetta grinning mask that’s become a symbol of anti-establishment, anti-financial institution protesters like those involved with the Occupy movement. The name of the website likely comes from Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of the person or group of people who created bitcoin.
Internet gambling is possible in the three states because gambling is primarily governed by state law, says Gregory Gemignani, a shareholder at the law firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins in Las Vegas. On top of state legislation is a federal layer of gambling laws, which help the states enforce their laws with interstate activities, he added.
One of the federal laws is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. “If you are involved in something that is illegal gambling and it is on the Internet, then the funds transferred associated with that are also going to be illegal, unless it’s exempted under the statue,” said Gemignani. “It’s sort of a piling-on statute.”
This is the law frequently cited by bitcoin poker advocates, since funds transferred in bitcoin are outside of the financial system.
Another applicable federal law is the Illegal Gambling Business Act, which has been used against online poker websites. It defines an illegal gambling business as one that violates state law, has five or more people and makes $2,000 in a single revenue day or is in continuous operation for thirty days or more, said Gemignani. Under the statue, if a person is involved on the supply side of an illegal gambling business as defined above — including conducting, managing, financing, owning or operating — that’s illegal under federal law, he added.
“It’s a pretty powerful statue,” he said. And as with everything, the prosecution comes down to motivation. “The DOJ has volumes and volumes of U.S. laws to enforce. Where does online poker come in? It’s a really low priority thing to enforce,” Gemignani said.
Bitcoin poker wins online after U.S. shuts cash sites - Market Extra - MarketWatch
The move to bitcoin in online poker started after the Department of Justice seized three of the biggest poker websites in the U.S. on April 15, 2011, a day known as Black Friday in the poker community. Bitcoin poker has gained momentum this year alongside the expanding profile and rising price of bitcoin, open-source software that has been heralded as both a virtual currency and protocol for payments. Bitcoin started the year trading around $13 and surged above $1,000 in late November.
Federal authorities aren’t sure if it’s a currency, a security, or something else altogether. Designation aside, bitcoin is increasingly used in very traditional purchases, from buying a house to getting a beer, and lately, playing a few hands of Texas Hold ‘em.
Patrick, a 24-year-old graduate student who plays poker online through the bitcoin poker website SealsWithClubs and who asked for his last name to be withheld, became interested in bitcoin after online poker’s Black Friday.
“A lot of us were looking for an alternative and bitcoin seemed like the next logical move because of the nature of the payment processing,” he said. “[It’s] instant, fairly anonymous, can be used in a number of fairly interesting ways.”
Bitcoin advocates such as the Winklevoss twins and Jeremy Allaire, chief executive of the bitcoin company Circle Internet Financial, have sought to portray bitcoin as a technology that will revolutionize the transfer of money, akin to how the Internet transformed the way information is shared. Bitcoin companies have lined up venture capital funding from well-established names like Accel Partners, Union Square Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. And there’s cautious optimism from U.S. regulators. At a Senate hearing in November , a Treasury official said that cash, not bitcoin, is still “the best medium” for money laundering, a statement that seemed to move the digital currency out of law enforcement’s crosshairs. New York bank regulators are considering allowing a license for companies that want to use virtual currencies such as bitcoin.
Two of the most notable federal closures this year of virtual-currency businesses — Silk Road , a bitcoin-only online drug market, and alleged money-laundering site Liberty Reserve — have gone a long way to whitewash its reputation.
Yet bitcoin’s unsavory association with illegal activities refuses to disappear even as its proponents take it closer toward the financial mainstream. A second version of Silk Road has appeared. And the so-called anarchist wing of the bitcoin world has rallied against what they see as increased regulation. Cody Wilson , better known as the creator of the 3-D-printed gun, has lambasted government regulation as a “straitjacket” for bitcoin and launched a crowdfunding campaign to create a service that would make bitcoin transactions more anonymous.
‘No banking. Only bitcoin.’
The online poker sites embrace this connection with a world that operates without the blessing or even direct interaction with traditional financial institutions. The SealsWithClubs website has a banner that proclaims “No banking. Only bitcoin.” The homepage greets users with a scantily clad woman holding the word “upgraded” surrounded by poker chips emblazoned with the letter “B” for bitcoin.
The bitcoin poker website Satoshi Poker, which was founded in 2013, features a photo of person wearing the Guy Fawkes, V is for Vendetta grinning mask that’s become a symbol of anti-establishment, anti-financial institution protesters like those involved with the Occupy movement. The name of the website likely comes from Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of the person or group of people who created bitcoin.
Internet gambling is possible in the three states because gambling is primarily governed by state law, says Gregory Gemignani, a shareholder at the law firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins in Las Vegas. On top of state legislation is a federal layer of gambling laws, which help the states enforce their laws with interstate activities, he added.
One of the federal laws is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. “If you are involved in something that is illegal gambling and it is on the Internet, then the funds transferred associated with that are also going to be illegal, unless it’s exempted under the statue,” said Gemignani. “It’s sort of a piling-on statute.”
This is the law frequently cited by bitcoin poker advocates, since funds transferred in bitcoin are outside of the financial system.
Another applicable federal law is the Illegal Gambling Business Act, which has been used against online poker websites. It defines an illegal gambling business as one that violates state law, has five or more people and makes $2,000 in a single revenue day or is in continuous operation for thirty days or more, said Gemignani. Under the statue, if a person is involved on the supply side of an illegal gambling business as defined above — including conducting, managing, financing, owning or operating — that’s illegal under federal law, he added.
“It’s a pretty powerful statue,” he said. And as with everything, the prosecution comes down to motivation. “The DOJ has volumes and volumes of U.S. laws to enforce. Where does online poker come in? It’s a really low priority thing to enforce,” Gemignani said.
Bitcoin poker wins online after U.S. shuts cash sites - Market Extra - MarketWatch
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Poker pro Viktor “Isildur1” Blom is ending a vicious year in a bad way — on a significant downswing. The Swede has lost more than $3 million since sometime in November.
The year has truly been a perpetual roller coaster for him. He reached a high point of more than $5 million in earnings during the summer, before nearly giving it all back. It then went on a big upswing, and here we are with just two weeks left and he’s nearing the red once again.
He has just $666,209 in profits on the year now, according to HighstakesDB.
Below is a look at who is having the best and worst months of December to close out the calendar year. Stay tuned to CardPlayer-com for a full end-of-year recap on Jan. 3.
Winners in December
samrostan: $1,270,372
ragen7: $592,982
FinddaGrind: $518,390
Kanu7: $230,699
n0d1ceb4by: 1$187,184
Losers in December
OMGClayAiken: -$787,258
Isildur1: -$752,528
Rui Cao: -$304,447
ronnyr37617: -$216,313
punting-peddler: -$146,888
High-Stakes Online Poker: Viktor Blom On Big Downswing As 2013 Winds Down
The year has truly been a perpetual roller coaster for him. He reached a high point of more than $5 million in earnings during the summer, before nearly giving it all back. It then went on a big upswing, and here we are with just two weeks left and he’s nearing the red once again.
He has just $666,209 in profits on the year now, according to HighstakesDB.
Below is a look at who is having the best and worst months of December to close out the calendar year. Stay tuned to CardPlayer-com for a full end-of-year recap on Jan. 3.
Winners in December
samrostan: $1,270,372
ragen7: $592,982
FinddaGrind: $518,390
Kanu7: $230,699
n0d1ceb4by: 1$187,184
Losers in December
OMGClayAiken: -$787,258
Isildur1: -$752,528
Rui Cao: -$304,447
ronnyr37617: -$216,313
punting-peddler: -$146,888
High-Stakes Online Poker: Viktor Blom On Big Downswing As 2013 Winds Down
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With several major banks and payment providers like PayPal on the sidelines, consumers are too often frustrated by the process of depositing at New Jersey’s online poker rooms and casinos.
And operators are still in the early stages of deploying alternatives that will allow players to deposit, withdraw and move funds from site to site with a minimum of cost, time or hassle.
One of those alternatives is a familiar name in the international iGaming market: Skrill.
OPR interviewed Neil Steinhardt, CEO of Skrill USA, via email for his thoughts on the current payment processing situation for NJ online poker, Skrill’s timeline for entering the Nevada market and the chance of iGaming movement in California this coming year.
Chris Grove: What brands are you currently working with in NJ?
Neil Steinhardt: We will be announcing the names of the brands we are working with in the New Year.
Grove: Why should customers in the New Jersey regulated market prefer Skrill to other available methods?
Steinhardt: In today’s regulated environment in NJ, we are the only digital wallet available, and therefore, the only instant method for paying in and getting paid out.
If customers want to manage their playing funds independently and enjoy the flexibility of sending money to any poker site with just one click, we are their only option.
Grove: There’s a perception I’ve seen floating around that Skrill can be utilized as a way to circumvent a credit card issuer’s policy of blocking online gambling transactions – i.e., fund Skrill with the credit card and then fund your casino account via Skrill. Can you clarify your policy on this sort of activity?
Steinhardt: This is not true. Skrill is a part of the same evolving payment ecosystem that the operators work in, not a way to work around it.
We work with our acquiring bank and with the credit card brands to ensure that credit card transactions are properly coded. Clearly there are some education opportunities for a number of issuing banks. I suspect that this situation will get better over time.
Grove: Can players deposit at New Jersey sites using Skrill when they’re located outside of NJ? Or do they have to be located within the state to deposit?
Steinhardt: We are not an operator, so players can deposit from anywhere. To play, they must be registered with a licensed operator and geo-located within New Jersey state lines. Customers can upload funds to Skrill in any state, but can only deposit with an operator when in NJ.
Grove: New Jersey’s current payment processing situation is obviously frustrating for many players. What are the top three things that have to happen for that situation to improve?
Steinhardt: First, banks need to be educated on this situation. Too many banks do not recognize the emergence of regulated gaming and have a blanket no-gaming policy.
Second, I’m not sure if there is enough liquidity in a small state like NJ, but should a larger state like California legalize online gaming then there would be many more millions of customers looking to make deposits. The banks would take more notice.
Third is time. I think a lot of banks are taking a “wait and see” approach.
Grove: Do you expect dramatic improvement of the payment processing situation in the near-term (say the next three months) or is this a problem that is just going to take some time to work out?
Steinhardt: As much as I would like to see a dramatic change, I think it will be more incremental.
Grove: Can you offer any general numbers regarding how many customers are utilizing your service to fund online gambling accounts in NJ?
Steinhardt: Along the lines of our forecast, which is great.
Grove: Nevada’s online poker market had a strong start liquidity-wise but has suffered a dramatic drop-off in recent months. How can NJ online poker operators avoid a similar fate?
Steinhardt: Well, New Jersey is not Nevada. The New Jersey gamer doesn’t have the same amount of brick and mortar options to satisfy their desire to play.
Also, I live in New Jersey and I don’t think we’ve begun to see any dramatic marketing pushes. I think the momentum in New Jersey is going to continue to build.
Grove: How many distinct online poker networks do you think the NJ market can support?
Steinhardt: Without PokerStars for two years, I believe three networks maximum, with one of them taking 40-50% share.
Grove: Why in Skrill not active in Nevada’s market?
Steinhardt: We will be shortly.
Grove: Do you see California passing online poker regulation in 2014?
Steinhardt: I would like to see that. Recent history has shown that betting on California to legalize poker has been a losing bet but like everyone else in the industry I’ve seen and heard encouraging signs.
All I can say for certainty is that when it is legalized, you’ll see Skrill front and center in the cashier.
NJ Can Support 3 Poker Networks Max, Says Skrill USA CEO Steinhardt
And operators are still in the early stages of deploying alternatives that will allow players to deposit, withdraw and move funds from site to site with a minimum of cost, time or hassle.
One of those alternatives is a familiar name in the international iGaming market: Skrill.
OPR interviewed Neil Steinhardt, CEO of Skrill USA, via email for his thoughts on the current payment processing situation for NJ online poker, Skrill’s timeline for entering the Nevada market and the chance of iGaming movement in California this coming year.
Chris Grove: What brands are you currently working with in NJ?
Neil Steinhardt: We will be announcing the names of the brands we are working with in the New Year.
Grove: Why should customers in the New Jersey regulated market prefer Skrill to other available methods?
Steinhardt: In today’s regulated environment in NJ, we are the only digital wallet available, and therefore, the only instant method for paying in and getting paid out.
If customers want to manage their playing funds independently and enjoy the flexibility of sending money to any poker site with just one click, we are their only option.
Grove: There’s a perception I’ve seen floating around that Skrill can be utilized as a way to circumvent a credit card issuer’s policy of blocking online gambling transactions – i.e., fund Skrill with the credit card and then fund your casino account via Skrill. Can you clarify your policy on this sort of activity?
Steinhardt: This is not true. Skrill is a part of the same evolving payment ecosystem that the operators work in, not a way to work around it.
We work with our acquiring bank and with the credit card brands to ensure that credit card transactions are properly coded. Clearly there are some education opportunities for a number of issuing banks. I suspect that this situation will get better over time.
Grove: Can players deposit at New Jersey sites using Skrill when they’re located outside of NJ? Or do they have to be located within the state to deposit?
Steinhardt: We are not an operator, so players can deposit from anywhere. To play, they must be registered with a licensed operator and geo-located within New Jersey state lines. Customers can upload funds to Skrill in any state, but can only deposit with an operator when in NJ.
Grove: New Jersey’s current payment processing situation is obviously frustrating for many players. What are the top three things that have to happen for that situation to improve?
Steinhardt: First, banks need to be educated on this situation. Too many banks do not recognize the emergence of regulated gaming and have a blanket no-gaming policy.
Second, I’m not sure if there is enough liquidity in a small state like NJ, but should a larger state like California legalize online gaming then there would be many more millions of customers looking to make deposits. The banks would take more notice.
Third is time. I think a lot of banks are taking a “wait and see” approach.
Grove: Do you expect dramatic improvement of the payment processing situation in the near-term (say the next three months) or is this a problem that is just going to take some time to work out?
Steinhardt: As much as I would like to see a dramatic change, I think it will be more incremental.
Grove: Can you offer any general numbers regarding how many customers are utilizing your service to fund online gambling accounts in NJ?
Steinhardt: Along the lines of our forecast, which is great.
Grove: Nevada’s online poker market had a strong start liquidity-wise but has suffered a dramatic drop-off in recent months. How can NJ online poker operators avoid a similar fate?
Steinhardt: Well, New Jersey is not Nevada. The New Jersey gamer doesn’t have the same amount of brick and mortar options to satisfy their desire to play.
Also, I live in New Jersey and I don’t think we’ve begun to see any dramatic marketing pushes. I think the momentum in New Jersey is going to continue to build.
Grove: How many distinct online poker networks do you think the NJ market can support?
Steinhardt: Without PokerStars for two years, I believe three networks maximum, with one of them taking 40-50% share.
Grove: Why in Skrill not active in Nevada’s market?
Steinhardt: We will be shortly.
Grove: Do you see California passing online poker regulation in 2014?
Steinhardt: I would like to see that. Recent history has shown that betting on California to legalize poker has been a losing bet but like everyone else in the industry I’ve seen and heard encouraging signs.
All I can say for certainty is that when it is legalized, you’ll see Skrill front and center in the cashier.
NJ Can Support 3 Poker Networks Max, Says Skrill USA CEO Steinhardt
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A software designer in California, Arthur Pfeiffer, has developed a new online poker game known as “Texas Block’Em” which removes luck from the game by requiring players to choose their own hole cards instead of playing the cards dealt to them.
The game is very similar to Texas Hold’em, however, as stated players can choose their hole cards. If two players choose the same card then the card becomes “blocked”.
Pfeiffer said, “In regular poker, each player relies heavily on the fixed laws of mathematics to calculate the probability that the cards dealt will give him a winning hand.
In Texas Block ’Em, each player relies heavily on his sense of human psychology in reading opponents to determine the probability that he can pick the right cards for a winning hand.”
The fact that the randomness of hole cards is removed from the game has US legal experts convinced that the new game will not violate online gambling laws but instead be considered a contest. As a result players in the US will be able to play for real money as soon as the game is rolled out.
Legal Online Poker Game to be Released Next Year
The game is very similar to Texas Hold’em, however, as stated players can choose their hole cards. If two players choose the same card then the card becomes “blocked”.
Pfeiffer said, “In regular poker, each player relies heavily on the fixed laws of mathematics to calculate the probability that the cards dealt will give him a winning hand.
In Texas Block ’Em, each player relies heavily on his sense of human psychology in reading opponents to determine the probability that he can pick the right cards for a winning hand.”
The fact that the randomness of hole cards is removed from the game has US legal experts convinced that the new game will not violate online gambling laws but instead be considered a contest. As a result players in the US will be able to play for real money as soon as the game is rolled out.
Legal Online Poker Game to be Released Next Year
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Manne wrote:
I've never been a big fan of online betting. For sports, I'd rather bet with a bookie or, when in Nevada, wager at a sportsbook and watch the games on giant TV screens.
In California, sports betting isn't legal, so many people turn to online gambling sites. The legality of betting via offshore sportsbooks remains in question, but for now online wagering is popular and generally unobstructed by federal authorities.
I chose Bovada.lv because I'd long followed it to get odds on games and futures, and it has a good reputation for customer service. A reviewer of online gaming sites, MyTopSportsBooks-com, says Bovada - which used to be called Bodog - has the "best customer service in the industry" and the "best mobile betting."
Most enticing, Bovada offers a 50 percent signup bonus, up to $250. Here's how it works: Say you bet $200 on the 49ers at even money. If you win you get $500 ($200 in winnings, $100 in bonus plus your original wager).
So a few weeks ago I took the plunge and authorized a $250 deposit on my credit card. But I hit a snag: The charge was denied as "irregular." Visa sent a text alert warning me of possible fraud. I texted back to note the charge was legit, but I still had to call Visa to authorize the charge. (While this was a problem a couple of years ago, it's reportedly not as widespread an issue today.)
Then I started betting. The odds are standard: Typically you have to bet $110 to win $100, and the site is relatively easy to use. Bovada also offers proposition bets on everything from NBA scoring leaders to Academy Award winners, but the site keeps a larger proportion of money bet on props, typically 25 percent. (That's true in Nevada casinos as well - given the odds, props, including futures, should be small wagers made for fun.)
I put my entire $250 on Indianapolis, giving three points, to beat San Diego on Oct. 14, but the Colts lost, so I didn't get to see how quickly Bovada would pay. I've had problems in the past getting my cash out of another online betting site, but reports are that Bovada pays promptly. A reviewer on MyTopSportsBooks said, "When I've requested a payout ... they come quick."
Other leading online betting sites include BetOnline-com, TopBet-com and GTbets-com.
It can be easy to get carried away betting online because you're not handling money. But if you bet responsibly, it can add a thrill to watching games, wherever you are.
Online betting: Bovada's good reputation for service - SFGate
Merry Christmas to all bovada/ixgames winner😡
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23 December 2013
Research institution and consultancy Academicon and market research company PokerScout have claimed in a new study that if California opts to legalise online poker, the US state could generate revenue of up to $263 million (€192 million) in the first year.
The study said that the US state can expect to generate between $217 million and $263 million in its first year of operations if it goes ahead with a regulated service.
The research claimed that the market could generate revenue of up to $384 million in year 10 of operations.
Researchers analysed data on 4.6 million real-money online poker players in both 2009 and 2010, a period in which unregulated poker in the US was near its peak.
The study found that 178,300 online poker players in California generated an average of $867 per year in revenue for internet poker operators, thus creating a $155 million market.
Researchers also noted that Californian players accounted for 16% of US revenue and 4% of worldwide online poker revenue.
Professor Kahlil Philander, one of the authors of the study, said regulated online poker is expected to grow ‘well beyond’ its previous peak.
However, fellow author Dr Ingo Fiedler warned that expectations could be impacted by the way in which the market is regulated.
The report said if the state were to restrict operations to a California-only player pool, estimations would be reduced to $217 million in the first year of operations to $263 million in year 10.
“The size of the market depends strongly on the decision to either limit the player pool to in-state residents or participate in a federal or international network of players,” Fiedler said.
California online poker market worth up to $384m, says study | iGaming Business
Research institution and consultancy Academicon and market research company PokerScout have claimed in a new study that if California opts to legalise online poker, the US state could generate revenue of up to $263 million (€192 million) in the first year.
The study said that the US state can expect to generate between $217 million and $263 million in its first year of operations if it goes ahead with a regulated service.
The research claimed that the market could generate revenue of up to $384 million in year 10 of operations.
Researchers analysed data on 4.6 million real-money online poker players in both 2009 and 2010, a period in which unregulated poker in the US was near its peak.
The study found that 178,300 online poker players in California generated an average of $867 per year in revenue for internet poker operators, thus creating a $155 million market.
Researchers also noted that Californian players accounted for 16% of US revenue and 4% of worldwide online poker revenue.
Professor Kahlil Philander, one of the authors of the study, said regulated online poker is expected to grow ‘well beyond’ its previous peak.
However, fellow author Dr Ingo Fiedler warned that expectations could be impacted by the way in which the market is regulated.
The report said if the state were to restrict operations to a California-only player pool, estimations would be reduced to $217 million in the first year of operations to $263 million in year 10.
“The size of the market depends strongly on the decision to either limit the player pool to in-state residents or participate in a federal or international network of players,” Fiedler said.
California online poker market worth up to $384m, says study | iGaming Business
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According to a recent study by PokerScout, a market research company, and Academicon, a research consultancy and institution, California can generate as much as $263 million in the very first year if it legalizes online poker.
The results of the study indicate that a legalized online poker industry in California can generate as much as $384 million in revenues during its tenth year. The researchers used data related to 4.6 real money poker players and obtained in 2009 – 10 when no state in the US had legalized online gambling. The study says that around 178,300 California online poker players contributed to the creation of an international poker market worth $155 million. The researchers have pointed out that 16 percent of the gambling revenue generated within the US and 4 percent of the online poker revenue generated throughout the world was contributed by gamblers in California.
According to Professor Kahlil Philander, who co-authored the study, a regulated online poker industry could grow much more than expected. But Dr. Ingo Fiedler, his fellow author, has warned that the way in which the state regulates the market could impact this growth in a big way. If the state permits operators to accept only residents of California, the revenue generated could be only $217 during the first year and could reach $263 million during the tenth year. Fiedler said: “The size of the market depends strongly on the decision of either limit the player pool to in-state residents or participate in a federal or international network of players.”
California may or may not legalize online poker next year. Senator Lou Correa’s bill 678, also referred to as the “Authorization and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013,” was not considered during the previous legislative session, which ended on September 6, 2013. This bill, if passed into law, will legalize online poker in California and set a regulatory framework for online poker operators in the state. The bill resembles those passed in Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey, where players need to be at least 21 years old to play for real money.
Correa had given a public statement about the bill as follows: “In order to protect the interests of Californians who play internet, poker games and to ensure that people play fair games, that the state realizes the revenues, and that suitable persons operate intrastate internet poker games, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.”
Legalized Online Poker in California Could Generate $263 Million the First Year
The results of the study indicate that a legalized online poker industry in California can generate as much as $384 million in revenues during its tenth year. The researchers used data related to 4.6 real money poker players and obtained in 2009 – 10 when no state in the US had legalized online gambling. The study says that around 178,300 California online poker players contributed to the creation of an international poker market worth $155 million. The researchers have pointed out that 16 percent of the gambling revenue generated within the US and 4 percent of the online poker revenue generated throughout the world was contributed by gamblers in California.
According to Professor Kahlil Philander, who co-authored the study, a regulated online poker industry could grow much more than expected. But Dr. Ingo Fiedler, his fellow author, has warned that the way in which the state regulates the market could impact this growth in a big way. If the state permits operators to accept only residents of California, the revenue generated could be only $217 during the first year and could reach $263 million during the tenth year. Fiedler said: “The size of the market depends strongly on the decision of either limit the player pool to in-state residents or participate in a federal or international network of players.”
California may or may not legalize online poker next year. Senator Lou Correa’s bill 678, also referred to as the “Authorization and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013,” was not considered during the previous legislative session, which ended on September 6, 2013. This bill, if passed into law, will legalize online poker in California and set a regulatory framework for online poker operators in the state. The bill resembles those passed in Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey, where players need to be at least 21 years old to play for real money.
Correa had given a public statement about the bill as follows: “In order to protect the interests of Californians who play internet, poker games and to ensure that people play fair games, that the state realizes the revenues, and that suitable persons operate intrastate internet poker games, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.”
Legalized Online Poker in California Could Generate $263 Million the First Year
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SealsWithClubsThe hacking attempt launched at new Bitcoin-based online poker site SealsWithClubs in recent weeks is likely the first such online break-in targeted at a poker site accepting Bitcoins as a payment, but it’s very unlikely to be the last. While Bitcoins as a medium could be very useful for all sorts of sites, including online gambling, they also bring an increased risk, not only due to the anonymity afforded to many Bitcoin users, but also due to the fact that the data itself is the money medium.
The risk grows another notch when one considers that online gaming, due to the nature of the business itself, has always been an exceptional target for online criminals. The early years of online poker and casino sites and online sportsbooks were a never-ending litany of hacking and extortion attempts. Givem the combination of big money, uncertain jurisdiction and operating in a legal grey area, it was something of a freeroll for criminals; if they didn’t score big bucks, they were just out a little time.
A lot of that simmered down as the online gaming market matured and as interested licensing jurisdictions gave at least a tiny bit of lip service to protecting their own. For all the improvements in that regard, however, the anonymous payments made possible by Bitcoins and other virtual currencies have reopened that door just a little bit.
It was SealsWithClubs own frontman, Bryan Micon, who has repeatedly characterized SWC as being the “Wild West of online poker,” but the truth of that has a sharp edge: the Wild West was a pretty lawless place.
In the recent hacking attempt launched at SWC, it’s still not actually known if any significant amount of players lost the contents of their Bitcoin wallets at SWC. It’s likely that few or no accounts were actually affected, and SWC issued a mandatory password-update notice, but that’s still only part of the story.
The break-in at SealsWithClubs consisted of more than 42,000 weakly encrypted passwords being stolen from an old data processor’s database, then decrypted after the stolen passwords were posted on a prominent hacking website, with hackers receiving a paltry two pennies per hacked password — another indicator that the Internet’s “Wild West” days are far from over.
But it’s more likely that sites such as SealsWithClubs will have to deal with such attacks in the future, simply because they are dealing with Bitcoins. I checked in with SWC’s Micon, who confirmed that the attack was more a crime against a Bitcoin holding site than an online-poker site, per se.
Said Micon, “When the data [itself] is money, the stakes are higher.”
It’s one of the reasons Micon and SWC apologized so profusely after the hacking attack went public. Major mainstream security sites determined that SWC’s security team had used a weak SHA-1 hashing algorithm, which was first cracked in 2007 and which was discarded as pretty much worthless by 2010 or so. It simply should not have been used, and its temporary security lied only in the fact that no one outside SWC knew that SHA-1 was being used in the first place.
Of course, the primary blame for the hacking went to the hosting and data service first used by SealsWithClubs, which left the modestly outdated database on an unprotected server. It’s not the first time that a service provider’s data security has been dropped in such a manner.
Added Micon, “I really do not know the motivation behind the hacker. All indications appear they were trying to steal Bitcoins,” though as with a lot of new-era hacking, it’s a game of thrills in an unprotected environment.
Micon believed that no users actually lost money, since the hacking actually only attacked one of several security layers involved at SWC. However, due to the way Bitcoin deposits work at SWC, with an e-mail address not even needed in the interests of anonymity, a player who also suffered a second hacking attack against his personal Bitcoin wallet could, conceivably, find himself locked out of his own Bitcoin account. That rare combination of circumstances likely wouldn’t even be reported to SealsWithClubs.
Micon noted that the storage system for Bitcoins in play on the site is actualy separate from the player passwords and account, meaning that those Bitcoins were safe all along. ”It is worth noting that player funds were never at risk,” said Micon, “as we have a cold storage solution that does not interact with our ‘hot wallet’ system. It is also worth noting that the group that makes up ‘Seal Team 6,’” as Micon calls the SWC security department, “takes their jobs very seriously. We made a terrible error that was compounded by our datacenter’s failure.”
“We take full responsibility and understand our reputation will take a hit,” added Micon. ”We have shifted all efforts towards security. I hope that players see how we respond to this and other issues we have had in the past. We strive for honesty and full disclosure without compromising security, and I think we have exhibited that in our reaction. At this stage I want players to understand that SealsWithClubs is a small group of highly motivated poker players and software engineers that share the vision of doing online poker ‘the right way.’ We are likely to make mistakes at these early stages…. The current database compromise is embarrassing and costly. We will treat this like all other challenges we have faced and fix it. We will not let a creative hacker destroy what we have built: instead we will defend this house with all that we have.
The attack put Bitcoin-based online gambling sites on notice; they’re on the front line against hackers who would like to steal Bitcoins, since once stole, they’re almost impossible to recover. SWC and its brethen must maintain a robust security defense to win the mainstream’s trust.
[url=www-4flush-com/online-poker-news/sealswithclubs-hacking-bitcoin-poker-sites-an-exceptional-target/15585]Seals
The risk grows another notch when one considers that online gaming, due to the nature of the business itself, has always been an exceptional target for online criminals. The early years of online poker and casino sites and online sportsbooks were a never-ending litany of hacking and extortion attempts. Givem the combination of big money, uncertain jurisdiction and operating in a legal grey area, it was something of a freeroll for criminals; if they didn’t score big bucks, they were just out a little time.
A lot of that simmered down as the online gaming market matured and as interested licensing jurisdictions gave at least a tiny bit of lip service to protecting their own. For all the improvements in that regard, however, the anonymous payments made possible by Bitcoins and other virtual currencies have reopened that door just a little bit.
It was SealsWithClubs own frontman, Bryan Micon, who has repeatedly characterized SWC as being the “Wild West of online poker,” but the truth of that has a sharp edge: the Wild West was a pretty lawless place.
In the recent hacking attempt launched at SWC, it’s still not actually known if any significant amount of players lost the contents of their Bitcoin wallets at SWC. It’s likely that few or no accounts were actually affected, and SWC issued a mandatory password-update notice, but that’s still only part of the story.
The break-in at SealsWithClubs consisted of more than 42,000 weakly encrypted passwords being stolen from an old data processor’s database, then decrypted after the stolen passwords were posted on a prominent hacking website, with hackers receiving a paltry two pennies per hacked password — another indicator that the Internet’s “Wild West” days are far from over.
But it’s more likely that sites such as SealsWithClubs will have to deal with such attacks in the future, simply because they are dealing with Bitcoins. I checked in with SWC’s Micon, who confirmed that the attack was more a crime against a Bitcoin holding site than an online-poker site, per se.
Said Micon, “When the data [itself] is money, the stakes are higher.”
It’s one of the reasons Micon and SWC apologized so profusely after the hacking attack went public. Major mainstream security sites determined that SWC’s security team had used a weak SHA-1 hashing algorithm, which was first cracked in 2007 and which was discarded as pretty much worthless by 2010 or so. It simply should not have been used, and its temporary security lied only in the fact that no one outside SWC knew that SHA-1 was being used in the first place.
Of course, the primary blame for the hacking went to the hosting and data service first used by SealsWithClubs, which left the modestly outdated database on an unprotected server. It’s not the first time that a service provider’s data security has been dropped in such a manner.
Added Micon, “I really do not know the motivation behind the hacker. All indications appear they were trying to steal Bitcoins,” though as with a lot of new-era hacking, it’s a game of thrills in an unprotected environment.
Micon believed that no users actually lost money, since the hacking actually only attacked one of several security layers involved at SWC. However, due to the way Bitcoin deposits work at SWC, with an e-mail address not even needed in the interests of anonymity, a player who also suffered a second hacking attack against his personal Bitcoin wallet could, conceivably, find himself locked out of his own Bitcoin account. That rare combination of circumstances likely wouldn’t even be reported to SealsWithClubs.
Micon noted that the storage system for Bitcoins in play on the site is actualy separate from the player passwords and account, meaning that those Bitcoins were safe all along. ”It is worth noting that player funds were never at risk,” said Micon, “as we have a cold storage solution that does not interact with our ‘hot wallet’ system. It is also worth noting that the group that makes up ‘Seal Team 6,’” as Micon calls the SWC security department, “takes their jobs very seriously. We made a terrible error that was compounded by our datacenter’s failure.”
“We take full responsibility and understand our reputation will take a hit,” added Micon. ”We have shifted all efforts towards security. I hope that players see how we respond to this and other issues we have had in the past. We strive for honesty and full disclosure without compromising security, and I think we have exhibited that in our reaction. At this stage I want players to understand that SealsWithClubs is a small group of highly motivated poker players and software engineers that share the vision of doing online poker ‘the right way.’ We are likely to make mistakes at these early stages…. The current database compromise is embarrassing and costly. We will treat this like all other challenges we have faced and fix it. We will not let a creative hacker destroy what we have built: instead we will defend this house with all that we have.
The attack put Bitcoin-based online gambling sites on notice; they’re on the front line against hackers who would like to steal Bitcoins, since once stole, they’re almost impossible to recover. SWC and its brethen must maintain a robust security defense to win the mainstream’s trust.
[url=www-4flush-com/online-poker-news/sealswithclubs-hacking-bitcoin-poker-sites-an-exceptional-target/15585]Seals
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People who work in the upper echelons of the gambling industry do not lack moxie; that’s why bad boy and former Golden Nugget owner Tim Poster has no problem asking the Nevada Gaming Commission to reinstate him as suitable in the Silver State, and that’s why PokerStars parent company Rational Group has no problem thumbing its nose at New Jersey after being rejected as unsuitable for licensing for at least the next two years.
New York State of Mind
That latter pronouncement was barely aired in the media before the online poker giant decided to fight fire with fire. You don’t want us? they said. Fine, we’ll go talk to your friendlier neighbors in New York State. And that’s exactly what Rational has now done.
And they’re doing it the old-fashioned way: with lobbyists. That’s right, Rational is throwing its weight around in the Empire State now, figuring since they’re benched for two years in New Jersey anyway, they might as well find another team to play on. And since New York seems to be enjoying some pro-gambling fervor after a state vote by residents approved a seven-casino referendum for land projects, why not just piggyback online gambling into the mix at the same time?
One New York media source reports that one of PokerStars top lobbyists has already held private meetings with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo regarding this possibility. And after all, it makes sense; Cuomo pushed to legalize land gaming in his state for years, and certainly understands the financial possibilities for his state’s coffers via gaming taxes, so no reason why he wouldn’t feel warm and fuzzy towards online casinos as well.
But can PokerStars overcome its casino industry scarlet letter, the designation of “bad actor” that it’s been labeled with in both Nevada and New Jersey now? That’s the $64,000 question at play.
It looks like at least Cuomo’s legal team is on Rational’s side; New York law firm Cozen O’Connor‘s rep Stuart Shorenstein had the ear of Bennet Liebman, who is acting as the Governor’s chief advisor on all things gambling these days. According to Shorenstein, it’s now “a good time for an open architecture”; in other words, since you’re opening all these brick-and-mortar casinos, why not add the Internet to the pot? According to a Cuomo spokesman, the governor has taken no official stance on this proposition at this time.
Working the System
Of course, even if Cuomo likes and backs this concept, there’s no guarantee that PokerStars will be allowed in the mix. After all, it was New York’s Southern District offices that originally filed the indictments that brought down PokerStars and its founder Isai Scheinberg in April 2011 during the infamous Black Friday online shutdown by the U.S. Department of Justice.
But hey, at one time the U.S. was at war with Germany and Japan, and look at us now, so all things are possible, right? And PokerStars is no dummy when it comes to working the power system; the company recently brought in former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to calm the waters with any leftover bad impressions in New York State. Turns out Mukasey is a former Chief Judge for the Southern District of New York as well, so it doesn’t get any cozier than that, does it?
Read more: PokerStars Turns to New York State for Online Gambling
New York State of Mind
That latter pronouncement was barely aired in the media before the online poker giant decided to fight fire with fire. You don’t want us? they said. Fine, we’ll go talk to your friendlier neighbors in New York State. And that’s exactly what Rational has now done.
And they’re doing it the old-fashioned way: with lobbyists. That’s right, Rational is throwing its weight around in the Empire State now, figuring since they’re benched for two years in New Jersey anyway, they might as well find another team to play on. And since New York seems to be enjoying some pro-gambling fervor after a state vote by residents approved a seven-casino referendum for land projects, why not just piggyback online gambling into the mix at the same time?
One New York media source reports that one of PokerStars top lobbyists has already held private meetings with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo regarding this possibility. And after all, it makes sense; Cuomo pushed to legalize land gaming in his state for years, and certainly understands the financial possibilities for his state’s coffers via gaming taxes, so no reason why he wouldn’t feel warm and fuzzy towards online casinos as well.
But can PokerStars overcome its casino industry scarlet letter, the designation of “bad actor” that it’s been labeled with in both Nevada and New Jersey now? That’s the $64,000 question at play.
It looks like at least Cuomo’s legal team is on Rational’s side; New York law firm Cozen O’Connor‘s rep Stuart Shorenstein had the ear of Bennet Liebman, who is acting as the Governor’s chief advisor on all things gambling these days. According to Shorenstein, it’s now “a good time for an open architecture”; in other words, since you’re opening all these brick-and-mortar casinos, why not add the Internet to the pot? According to a Cuomo spokesman, the governor has taken no official stance on this proposition at this time.
Working the System
Of course, even if Cuomo likes and backs this concept, there’s no guarantee that PokerStars will be allowed in the mix. After all, it was New York’s Southern District offices that originally filed the indictments that brought down PokerStars and its founder Isai Scheinberg in April 2011 during the infamous Black Friday online shutdown by the U.S. Department of Justice.
But hey, at one time the U.S. was at war with Germany and Japan, and look at us now, so all things are possible, right? And PokerStars is no dummy when it comes to working the power system; the company recently brought in former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey to calm the waters with any leftover bad impressions in New York State. Turns out Mukasey is a former Chief Judge for the Southern District of New York as well, so it doesn’t get any cozier than that, does it?
Read more: PokerStars Turns to New York State for Online Gambling
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All the aspects on online gambling are considered entertainment by most people but when it comes to online poker it is not only entertainment but a passion. Needless to say the game of poker also has many aspects with the main one being the argument that it not just a game of chance but a game that requires skill. Poker is probably the most played game on the internet with thousands enjoying a hand or two every minute.
The online poker scene has been changing rapidly over the past few years with the addition of new gaming models and the addition of new players all looking to make money and a name for themselves. The life of the professional poker player has become more competitive than ever and the field has become smaller. America has recently legalized online poker in Nevada Delaware and New Jersey with the potential of other US jurisdictions coming on board.
Bodog was basically the first recognized the need to keep the recreational poker players coming to the tables. It created the Bodog Recreational Poker Model, which made the other operators see the light and follow the trend. Poker for the average person who doesn’t have a huge budget and gets a great deal of fun out of a few hands after work became the main thrust for online poker rooms in order to keep the game alive. Part of this process included anonymity and a move to protect players from the use of data mining.
The evolution of online poker saw the most innovative thing to come along in years with the introduction of Zoom, Rush, Fast Forward or whatever it is called now poker in 2010 when Full Tilt created the genre. Now mobile online poker has become the norm and its introduction has increased player activity enormously.
Social online poker has been a bit of bust for companies such as Zynga which found that poker players on social networks were not interested in real money gambling.
Online Poker in 2013 Explained
The online poker scene has been changing rapidly over the past few years with the addition of new gaming models and the addition of new players all looking to make money and a name for themselves. The life of the professional poker player has become more competitive than ever and the field has become smaller. America has recently legalized online poker in Nevada Delaware and New Jersey with the potential of other US jurisdictions coming on board.
Bodog was basically the first recognized the need to keep the recreational poker players coming to the tables. It created the Bodog Recreational Poker Model, which made the other operators see the light and follow the trend. Poker for the average person who doesn’t have a huge budget and gets a great deal of fun out of a few hands after work became the main thrust for online poker rooms in order to keep the game alive. Part of this process included anonymity and a move to protect players from the use of data mining.
The evolution of online poker saw the most innovative thing to come along in years with the introduction of Zoom, Rush, Fast Forward or whatever it is called now poker in 2010 when Full Tilt created the genre. Now mobile online poker has become the norm and its introduction has increased player activity enormously.
Social online poker has been a bit of bust for companies such as Zynga which found that poker players on social networks were not interested in real money gambling.
Online Poker in 2013 Explained
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29893
LiveAce became another failed venture in the U.S. online poker subscription market. The company closed its virtual doors without any notice last week after making some major changes in the weeks before the site went offline. LiveAce was just another failed subscription model that hoped to find a way around federal and state law by creating an online poker site that fell under state sweepstakes laws.
LiveAce offered two ways to play on the site. There was a basic membership that allowed players to reload chips daily. That changed on December 6 when basic players were only allowed to top-off chips once per week. There was also a $19.99 premium monthly subscription that allowed more frequent chip reloads.
LiveAce lowered its payouts to players one week before closing. The original prize structure awarded $4,500 in cash each week. This was lowered to $1,400 seven days before the site went offline. This cash was dispersed in auctions where players priced chips. The best bids were paid.
Players that paid the monthly $19.99 subscription for a premium membership had a better chance of cashing in during the auctions, however, basic members could also sell chips.
The monthly prize pool at LiveAce was $19,285 based on a 30-day month for most of its run. That would require 965 paying members each month just to meet the guaranteed prize pool. This number does not include the site’s overhead such as advertising, payment processing fees, server space, legal fees, labor and costs associated with software development. The site probably needed 2000-3000 monthly subscriptions to break even. That would have been quite an accomplishment considering it was only available in 31 states and Washington D.C.
Subscription sites must find a way to operate under sweepstakes laws. One example allows a patron to send a postcard every month to company to receive a free membership. The fact this option is available is usually buried in the terms and conditions of the site so most players do not know about it.
Skill-based poker sites have not found success either. Skillbet and Duplicate Poker are examples of skill poker sites that experienced a short life span.
There are a couple of success stories in the subscription poker industry. ClubWPT, backed by the World Poker Tour brand, has been in business for years. PurePlay also has a long history of subscription-based gaming. Most of the tournaments on these sites would appeal to low rollers as the expected value is often under $1 per tournament buy-in.
There is also a question about the legality of this business model. Sfexaminer-com interviewed PurePlay CEO Jason B. Kellerman. He insists that the company’s product is legal in the states where it is offered. He also stated there had never been a government inquiry about PurePlay’s business. The newspaper reached out to the California and U.S. justice departments to get a legal opinion on subscription-based gaming. Neither government attorney’s office would comment.
It appears that when poker players want to play their favorite game over the Internet they want to play it in a traditional format. The solution is not to create a backdoor to skill games or sweepstakes laws. That development money should be spent furthering the online poker legalization cause at the state and federal level.
U.S. Online Poker Subscription Sites are a Tough Sell to Players |
LiveAce offered two ways to play on the site. There was a basic membership that allowed players to reload chips daily. That changed on December 6 when basic players were only allowed to top-off chips once per week. There was also a $19.99 premium monthly subscription that allowed more frequent chip reloads.
LiveAce lowered its payouts to players one week before closing. The original prize structure awarded $4,500 in cash each week. This was lowered to $1,400 seven days before the site went offline. This cash was dispersed in auctions where players priced chips. The best bids were paid.
Players that paid the monthly $19.99 subscription for a premium membership had a better chance of cashing in during the auctions, however, basic members could also sell chips.
The monthly prize pool at LiveAce was $19,285 based on a 30-day month for most of its run. That would require 965 paying members each month just to meet the guaranteed prize pool. This number does not include the site’s overhead such as advertising, payment processing fees, server space, legal fees, labor and costs associated with software development. The site probably needed 2000-3000 monthly subscriptions to break even. That would have been quite an accomplishment considering it was only available in 31 states and Washington D.C.
Subscription sites must find a way to operate under sweepstakes laws. One example allows a patron to send a postcard every month to company to receive a free membership. The fact this option is available is usually buried in the terms and conditions of the site so most players do not know about it.
Skill-based poker sites have not found success either. Skillbet and Duplicate Poker are examples of skill poker sites that experienced a short life span.
There are a couple of success stories in the subscription poker industry. ClubWPT, backed by the World Poker Tour brand, has been in business for years. PurePlay also has a long history of subscription-based gaming. Most of the tournaments on these sites would appeal to low rollers as the expected value is often under $1 per tournament buy-in.
There is also a question about the legality of this business model. Sfexaminer-com interviewed PurePlay CEO Jason B. Kellerman. He insists that the company’s product is legal in the states where it is offered. He also stated there had never been a government inquiry about PurePlay’s business. The newspaper reached out to the California and U.S. justice departments to get a legal opinion on subscription-based gaming. Neither government attorney’s office would comment.
It appears that when poker players want to play their favorite game over the Internet they want to play it in a traditional format. The solution is not to create a backdoor to skill games or sweepstakes laws. That development money should be spent furthering the online poker legalization cause at the state and federal level.
U.S. Online Poker Subscription Sites are a Tough Sell to Players |
Join:
2006/12/07
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29893
Some industry observers believe fear will grip the United States in 2014; the fear of individual states being left behind in the great online gambling race.
The situation will mimic the newly regulated markets in Europe, in which one or two dominant players emerge while the rest struggle hard just to break even. Bwin.party's PartyPoker is reportedly off to a good start in New Jersey, but the company admits the setup costs alone amounted to between €7m and €10m in 2013. Barring an equally dominant performance by Bwin.party's casino vertical and significant growth in the state's overall market, turning that red ink to black will be a mean feat.
The money-losing operators will hang on in the hope that interstate compacts will remedy their situation. Plus both poker and casino will always be niche products compared to sports betting, which won't change for years to come.
California remains the most interesting state in play for obvious reasons. For the record, I think California will get its legislative act together next year. But even when California joins the online party, it will be poker-only - at least, to start - and the state's capacity to make a go of things on its own will provide little incentive for liquidity sharing with other states. Bottom line: it will be years yet before the US online market is anything more than a loss-leader, even for its most successful operators.
ANTIGUA: 2014 will be High Noon for the showdown between Antigua and the United States. Either the US Trade Representative (USTR) will finally honor the near decade-old World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the US stance towards Antigua's online gambling industry is anti-competitive or Antigua will make good on its WTO-authorized threat to offer royalty-free digital downloads of US intellectual property. I'll go out on a limb and say the US will offer a settlement that Antigua will find acceptable.
EUROPE: Like the clichéd police instruction to looky-loos; 'nothing to see here, folks.' Expect more of the same in the globe's most mature and tax-happy marketplace.
Despite William Hill's recent assurances, Gibraltar's status as an online gambling regulatory hub will come under threat as other UK-facing companies adjust to the UK's new gambling codes of conduct. As they calculate the damage posed to their bottom lines by the implementation of the point-of-consumption-tax, Gibraltar-based operators will question the wisdom of maintaining their operations on The Rock along with a now superfluous Gibraltar online gambling license.
ASIA: Macau casino operators will continue to find innovative workarounds to the gaming hub's constraining gaming table cap. Last year saw operators embracing stadium-style electronic baccarat stations that serve up to 100 players from a single cap-counting 'table'. In 2014, some operator will take the next logical step by introducing mobile tablet live dealer baccarat within their casino walls to ensure none of their gamblers ever have to check out a neighboring casino to find a seat at the table.
Japan will issue two resort casino licenses - one going to either Sands or MGM Resorts (with a local partner along for the ride). Wynn Resorts will also apply, but Universal Entertainment boss Kazuo Okada will finally get his revenge on Steve Wynn by using his local influence to torpedo Wynn's bid. The second license will go to an Asian operator like Universal, Genting or Melco Crown. Concerns over Caesars Entertainment's debt load will once again eliminate it from serious contention, leading to serious calls for CEO Gary Loveman to atone for his blunder by stepping down.
PHILIPPINES: The other big story of 2014 in Asia will be the rise of competitors to the First Cagayan regulatory jurisdiction in the Philippines. There are a number of competing groups vying for a piece of the online game and more are coming on-stream this year, giving operators more choice as to with whom they wish to work. Corruption is a problem, as Bodog Asia saw with an illegal raid on its premises caused by criminal ex-staff using influence peddling to advance their misguided personal agenda. Most operators will react to the issues attacking our industry there by planning structural changes, so the core industry in the Philippines will survive but not in its present form.
INDIA, LATIN AMERICA and AFRICA
All these markets are progressing well and will continue to grow. They are also all 'grey' and therefore almost totally being enjoyed by privately held online gaming companies (much as in Asia, currently the world's largest online market). Not much to predict here but more of the same with payments and digital marketing being the battleground.
TECHNOLOGY: After years of gathering momentum, mobile will officially become an all-star in 2014. Much of the growth to date has been due to sports betting and random number generator casino, with some UK operators reporting mobile wagering accounting for over two-fifths of sports wagers in 2013. Operators are now adapting their live dealer casino offering for the mobile space, which will significantly boost mobile wagering's appeal in the all-important Asian markets.
Mobile's growth will get an assist from payment providers, who, like Facebook, took a while to grasp the 'desktop = dodo' reality taking shape out in the real word but are finally getting with the program. As existing hurdles facing mobile deposits and withdrawals are lowered, gambling on the go will increasingly become the default option for bettors.
While the Bitcoin currency/commodity's value in relation to fiat currency will continue to go up and down like a DVD of Deep Throat on fast forward, 2014 will see some major online gambling operator take the bold step by listing Bitcoin as a routine option for deposits and withdrawals.
SEXY INNOVATIONS: Casino has been unloved in recent years from an innovation standpoint, but I know the Bodog crew are hard at work on some new g
The situation will mimic the newly regulated markets in Europe, in which one or two dominant players emerge while the rest struggle hard just to break even. Bwin.party's PartyPoker is reportedly off to a good start in New Jersey, but the company admits the setup costs alone amounted to between €7m and €10m in 2013. Barring an equally dominant performance by Bwin.party's casino vertical and significant growth in the state's overall market, turning that red ink to black will be a mean feat.
The money-losing operators will hang on in the hope that interstate compacts will remedy their situation. Plus both poker and casino will always be niche products compared to sports betting, which won't change for years to come.
California remains the most interesting state in play for obvious reasons. For the record, I think California will get its legislative act together next year. But even when California joins the online party, it will be poker-only - at least, to start - and the state's capacity to make a go of things on its own will provide little incentive for liquidity sharing with other states. Bottom line: it will be years yet before the US online market is anything more than a loss-leader, even for its most successful operators.
ANTIGUA: 2014 will be High Noon for the showdown between Antigua and the United States. Either the US Trade Representative (USTR) will finally honor the near decade-old World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that the US stance towards Antigua's online gambling industry is anti-competitive or Antigua will make good on its WTO-authorized threat to offer royalty-free digital downloads of US intellectual property. I'll go out on a limb and say the US will offer a settlement that Antigua will find acceptable.
EUROPE: Like the clichéd police instruction to looky-loos; 'nothing to see here, folks.' Expect more of the same in the globe's most mature and tax-happy marketplace.
Despite William Hill's recent assurances, Gibraltar's status as an online gambling regulatory hub will come under threat as other UK-facing companies adjust to the UK's new gambling codes of conduct. As they calculate the damage posed to their bottom lines by the implementation of the point-of-consumption-tax, Gibraltar-based operators will question the wisdom of maintaining their operations on The Rock along with a now superfluous Gibraltar online gambling license.
ASIA: Macau casino operators will continue to find innovative workarounds to the gaming hub's constraining gaming table cap. Last year saw operators embracing stadium-style electronic baccarat stations that serve up to 100 players from a single cap-counting 'table'. In 2014, some operator will take the next logical step by introducing mobile tablet live dealer baccarat within their casino walls to ensure none of their gamblers ever have to check out a neighboring casino to find a seat at the table.
Japan will issue two resort casino licenses - one going to either Sands or MGM Resorts (with a local partner along for the ride). Wynn Resorts will also apply, but Universal Entertainment boss Kazuo Okada will finally get his revenge on Steve Wynn by using his local influence to torpedo Wynn's bid. The second license will go to an Asian operator like Universal, Genting or Melco Crown. Concerns over Caesars Entertainment's debt load will once again eliminate it from serious contention, leading to serious calls for CEO Gary Loveman to atone for his blunder by stepping down.
PHILIPPINES: The other big story of 2014 in Asia will be the rise of competitors to the First Cagayan regulatory jurisdiction in the Philippines. There are a number of competing groups vying for a piece of the online game and more are coming on-stream this year, giving operators more choice as to with whom they wish to work. Corruption is a problem, as Bodog Asia saw with an illegal raid on its premises caused by criminal ex-staff using influence peddling to advance their misguided personal agenda. Most operators will react to the issues attacking our industry there by planning structural changes, so the core industry in the Philippines will survive but not in its present form.
INDIA, LATIN AMERICA and AFRICA
All these markets are progressing well and will continue to grow. They are also all 'grey' and therefore almost totally being enjoyed by privately held online gaming companies (much as in Asia, currently the world's largest online market). Not much to predict here but more of the same with payments and digital marketing being the battleground.
TECHNOLOGY: After years of gathering momentum, mobile will officially become an all-star in 2014. Much of the growth to date has been due to sports betting and random number generator casino, with some UK operators reporting mobile wagering accounting for over two-fifths of sports wagers in 2013. Operators are now adapting their live dealer casino offering for the mobile space, which will significantly boost mobile wagering's appeal in the all-important Asian markets.
Mobile's growth will get an assist from payment providers, who, like Facebook, took a while to grasp the 'desktop = dodo' reality taking shape out in the real word but are finally getting with the program. As existing hurdles facing mobile deposits and withdrawals are lowered, gambling on the go will increasingly become the default option for bettors.
While the Bitcoin currency/commodity's value in relation to fiat currency will continue to go up and down like a DVD of Deep Throat on fast forward, 2014 will see some major online gambling operator take the bold step by listing Bitcoin as a routine option for deposits and withdrawals.
SEXY INNOVATIONS: Casino has been unloved in recent years from an innovation standpoint, but I know the Bodog crew are hard at work on some new g
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Make no mistake, 2013 was big year for online poker in the United States – perhaps the biggest ever.
2013 brought about the launch of licensed online poker, some additional closure from Black Friday, the unregulated market’s fall into chaos, and the return of some major players in the US market.
In a normal year you’d be lucky to get one or two stories that have the potential to be real game changers, but this year we had at least a half-dozen that could be counted in this category.
Here are the 10 biggest online poker stories of 2013.
#10 – 888 Poker’s rise to prominence
If you were selecting a list of winners and losers of 2013 then 888 Poker would be right at the top of the winners’ side.
The year began with 888 becoming the official sponsor of the World Series of Poker, including the WSOP APAC, Las Vegas, and Europe.
In between all they did was launch their WSOP-com website in Nevada, get selected to provide Delaware’s online gaming (along with Scientific Games), and launch two different online poker rooms in New Jersey.
During this time 888 Poker also saw their network creep into a neck-and-neck horserace for the #2 spot on www-pokerscout-com’s traffic rankings.
#9 – The return of Party Poker
Seven years.
It’s hard to believe but it had been seven years since US poker players had the chance to play at Party Poker, following the company’s decision to leave the US after UIGEA passage.
But Party’s period of exile is now over after they teamed up with the Borgata and launched two poker rooms in New Jersey last month.
So far Party Poker has been the dominant force in the US market, with a 50% market share in New Jersey. It’s still early, but thus far it looks like Party Poker will be picking up right where it left off.
#8 – Launch of online poker in Delaware
Sandwiched in between the launch of iGaming in Nevada and New Jersey, Delaware’s online poker industry has been flying under the radar (having an average of 25 players online at any given time will do that) but Delaware’s launch is still a pretty big deal.
Delaware is the only state of the three that is running their online gambling through the state’s lottery, and using a singled provider – 888 and Scientific Games.
And as I mentioned in this article, Delaware could very well be the lynchpin to interstate online poker.
#7 – The tumultuous rise of Bitcoin
The funny thing about this story is that it’s still developing, and we really don’t know if Bitcoin (and its role in online poker) is going to be a blip on the radar or a full-fledged revolution.
What we do know is that during 2013 Bitcoin went from a fringe currency worth a few bucks and lauded only by a few diehard advocates, to a potential game changer for currencies, trading at over $1,000 a piece, or a Bitcoin, or however you measure the things.
#6 – Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Adelson tried to come in at the tail end of 2013 and upset the online poker apple cart in the US, calling for a federal ban of online gambling.
Fortunately, his “coalition” has been more bark than bite at this point and has been debunked by poker advocates online here and here, and even in the halls of Congress.
#5 – Full Tilt Poker remission process begins
If money was actually returned we’d be looking at a top 3 story, but the beginning of the Full Tilt Poker Remission process by the Garden City Group is still big enough to make the top 10.
Claims are supposed to start arriving at poker players’ doors sometime in early 2013 (March/April), but as we have all come to realize when it comes to Full Tilt Poker, a deadline is more of a recommendation than a covenant.
#4 – The fall of Lock Poker
Lock Poker can thank pretty much every other entry on this list for trumping the site’s numerous and disconcerting issues, or at the very least distracting US players for a period of time.
Earlier this year it looked like Lock Poker and their troubling transaction times were about to be razed to the ground by the poker community, but somehow the site has managed to carry on, all the while fending off the torch and pitchfork crowd, even after leaving Revolution Gaming and striking out on their own.
#3 – PokerStars shut out of US market
PokerStars’ US aspirations were hampered with DOJ settlements, the five-year “bad actor” clause in Nevada, a rescinded deal with the Atlantic Club that led to a legal battle, a partnership with Resorts Casino, and finally the suspension of their license application for the foreseeable future by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Poker players had hoped PokerStars would have a seat at the US online poker industry’s regulated table, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. The US market is now moving forward without the biggest brand in the industry.
Fortunately, the market is progressing in a good way, and in a couple of years US players could be saying, “PokerStars who?”
#2 – Launch of online poker in Nevada
You know it’s been a big year when the return of online poker (legal, licensed online poker to boot) is only in the #2 spot on this list.
On April 30, 2013, the first licensed online poker room in the United States came online in Nevada, Ultimate Poker.
The reason Nevada gets the #2 spot despite being the first state to launch online poker is simple; the industry has stagnated in the sparsely populated state of 2.7 million.
And this is why the #1 US online poker story of 2013 is…
#1 – Launch of online poker in New Jersey
It may seem blasphemous to put any story ahead of Ultimate Poker’s launch, but there is no question about it, the launch of online gaming in New Jersey was the #1 story this year.
If you don’t think so, then just consider that the lead-up to the launch was probably better covered than any other story on this list, especially by mainstream press.
On the night NJ online poker went live with their soft launch Twitter, 2+2 and every other poker outlet w
2013 brought about the launch of licensed online poker, some additional closure from Black Friday, the unregulated market’s fall into chaos, and the return of some major players in the US market.
In a normal year you’d be lucky to get one or two stories that have the potential to be real game changers, but this year we had at least a half-dozen that could be counted in this category.
Here are the 10 biggest online poker stories of 2013.
#10 – 888 Poker’s rise to prominence
If you were selecting a list of winners and losers of 2013 then 888 Poker would be right at the top of the winners’ side.
The year began with 888 becoming the official sponsor of the World Series of Poker, including the WSOP APAC, Las Vegas, and Europe.
In between all they did was launch their WSOP-com website in Nevada, get selected to provide Delaware’s online gaming (along with Scientific Games), and launch two different online poker rooms in New Jersey.
During this time 888 Poker also saw their network creep into a neck-and-neck horserace for the #2 spot on www-pokerscout-com’s traffic rankings.
#9 – The return of Party Poker
Seven years.
It’s hard to believe but it had been seven years since US poker players had the chance to play at Party Poker, following the company’s decision to leave the US after UIGEA passage.
But Party’s period of exile is now over after they teamed up with the Borgata and launched two poker rooms in New Jersey last month.
So far Party Poker has been the dominant force in the US market, with a 50% market share in New Jersey. It’s still early, but thus far it looks like Party Poker will be picking up right where it left off.
#8 – Launch of online poker in Delaware
Sandwiched in between the launch of iGaming in Nevada and New Jersey, Delaware’s online poker industry has been flying under the radar (having an average of 25 players online at any given time will do that) but Delaware’s launch is still a pretty big deal.
Delaware is the only state of the three that is running their online gambling through the state’s lottery, and using a singled provider – 888 and Scientific Games.
And as I mentioned in this article, Delaware could very well be the lynchpin to interstate online poker.
#7 – The tumultuous rise of Bitcoin
The funny thing about this story is that it’s still developing, and we really don’t know if Bitcoin (and its role in online poker) is going to be a blip on the radar or a full-fledged revolution.
What we do know is that during 2013 Bitcoin went from a fringe currency worth a few bucks and lauded only by a few diehard advocates, to a potential game changer for currencies, trading at over $1,000 a piece, or a Bitcoin, or however you measure the things.
#6 – Sheldon Adelson
Sheldon Adelson tried to come in at the tail end of 2013 and upset the online poker apple cart in the US, calling for a federal ban of online gambling.
Fortunately, his “coalition” has been more bark than bite at this point and has been debunked by poker advocates online here and here, and even in the halls of Congress.
#5 – Full Tilt Poker remission process begins
If money was actually returned we’d be looking at a top 3 story, but the beginning of the Full Tilt Poker Remission process by the Garden City Group is still big enough to make the top 10.
Claims are supposed to start arriving at poker players’ doors sometime in early 2013 (March/April), but as we have all come to realize when it comes to Full Tilt Poker, a deadline is more of a recommendation than a covenant.
#4 – The fall of Lock Poker
Lock Poker can thank pretty much every other entry on this list for trumping the site’s numerous and disconcerting issues, or at the very least distracting US players for a period of time.
Earlier this year it looked like Lock Poker and their troubling transaction times were about to be razed to the ground by the poker community, but somehow the site has managed to carry on, all the while fending off the torch and pitchfork crowd, even after leaving Revolution Gaming and striking out on their own.
#3 – PokerStars shut out of US market
PokerStars’ US aspirations were hampered with DOJ settlements, the five-year “bad actor” clause in Nevada, a rescinded deal with the Atlantic Club that led to a legal battle, a partnership with Resorts Casino, and finally the suspension of their license application for the foreseeable future by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Poker players had hoped PokerStars would have a seat at the US online poker industry’s regulated table, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. The US market is now moving forward without the biggest brand in the industry.
Fortunately, the market is progressing in a good way, and in a couple of years US players could be saying, “PokerStars who?”
#2 – Launch of online poker in Nevada
You know it’s been a big year when the return of online poker (legal, licensed online poker to boot) is only in the #2 spot on this list.
On April 30, 2013, the first licensed online poker room in the United States came online in Nevada, Ultimate Poker.
The reason Nevada gets the #2 spot despite being the first state to launch online poker is simple; the industry has stagnated in the sparsely populated state of 2.7 million.
And this is why the #1 US online poker story of 2013 is…
#1 – Launch of online poker in New Jersey
It may seem blasphemous to put any story ahead of Ultimate Poker’s launch, but there is no question about it, the launch of online gaming in New Jersey was the #1 story this year.
If you don’t think so, then just consider that the lead-up to the launch was probably better covered than any other story on this list, especially by mainstream press.
On the night NJ online poker went live with their soft launch Twitter, 2+2 and every other poker outlet w
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
After 25 years of working as an FBI special agent and supervisor, Joe Navarro has subsequently been turning his unique knowledge of behavioral analysis and non-verbal communication towards the poker tables, and revealing a whole wealth of reading tells necessary to improve as a live poker player.
When Navarro came to poker in 2005, Mike Caro’s Book of Poker Tells was considered the seminal work on the fascinating subject and listed around 50 tells, but after Navarro and professor Marvin Karlins published the book “Read ‘Em and Reap: A Career FBI Agent’s Guide to Decoding Poker Tells” in 2006, the book became an instant success and received overwhelming praise from poker pros and hobby players alike. As Navarro later explained:
“One of the things I noticed was that there was only about 50 tells there, and, to my surprise, a lot of them had to do with the hands and the face, but not the rest of the body. There was no mention of the neck, fingers, torso, feet etc. That sort of blew my mind, so when we wrote Read ‘Em and Reap, now all of a sudden we went from 50 tells to 140 tells.”
Since then, the nonverbal communication expert has released numerous books on the fascinating subject, including ’200 Poker Tells,’ and Navarro has also been a regular contributor to the esteemed Psychology Today Magazine. Some of the clues the ex-FBI agent has helped draw attention to includes full lips (confident) versus disappearing lips (lacking confidence), and “Gravity-Defying Tells,” such as raised eyebrows, hands, or feet indicating strength, whilst the opposite movement of these body parts would indicates weakness. Nevertheless, Navarro emphasizes the importance of establishing a baseline of the player’s behaviour before making a decision about his tells.
Finally, Joe Navarro highlights the importance of being ever mindful of your opponents’ complete body language, and explains: “Be aware that the whole body is constantly transmitting information. We express our emotions; we express how we feel in real-time. While there is such a thing as a “poker face,” there’s no such thing as a “poker body.” Somewhere on the body, whether you have a good hand or a bad hand, it will be revealed.
Ex-FBI Agent Gives Clues To Poker Tells
When Navarro came to poker in 2005, Mike Caro’s Book of Poker Tells was considered the seminal work on the fascinating subject and listed around 50 tells, but after Navarro and professor Marvin Karlins published the book “Read ‘Em and Reap: A Career FBI Agent’s Guide to Decoding Poker Tells” in 2006, the book became an instant success and received overwhelming praise from poker pros and hobby players alike. As Navarro later explained:
“One of the things I noticed was that there was only about 50 tells there, and, to my surprise, a lot of them had to do with the hands and the face, but not the rest of the body. There was no mention of the neck, fingers, torso, feet etc. That sort of blew my mind, so when we wrote Read ‘Em and Reap, now all of a sudden we went from 50 tells to 140 tells.”
Since then, the nonverbal communication expert has released numerous books on the fascinating subject, including ’200 Poker Tells,’ and Navarro has also been a regular contributor to the esteemed Psychology Today Magazine. Some of the clues the ex-FBI agent has helped draw attention to includes full lips (confident) versus disappearing lips (lacking confidence), and “Gravity-Defying Tells,” such as raised eyebrows, hands, or feet indicating strength, whilst the opposite movement of these body parts would indicates weakness. Nevertheless, Navarro emphasizes the importance of establishing a baseline of the player’s behaviour before making a decision about his tells.
Finally, Joe Navarro highlights the importance of being ever mindful of your opponents’ complete body language, and explains: “Be aware that the whole body is constantly transmitting information. We express our emotions; we express how we feel in real-time. While there is such a thing as a “poker face,” there’s no such thing as a “poker body.” Somewhere on the body, whether you have a good hand or a bad hand, it will be revealed.
Ex-FBI Agent Gives Clues To Poker Tells
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
The app was developed by Bwin.party Entertainment Limited and it allows players the ability to play for real money on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
PartyPoker NJ mobile: Player experience and features
When you load up the app you have the option to either click on real money, fast forward, play money or preview.
The real money games are fairly straightforward. Players have the option to play up to $25/$50 while fast forward allows play up to $5/$10.
The gameplay experience at these tables is surprisingly good, featuring crisp and clean graphics.
Downsides of PartyPoker NJ’s mobile app
In a rather disappointing move, when players attempt to play on the play money tables they are hit with a message that states “Coming Soon – Play money games are currently unavailable and will be added soon.”
Another drawback is that the app is currently lacking the ability to play in tournaments and sit & go’s.
When this reviewer tested out Party Poker’s NJ mobile client, there was no information available within the app about those features being added in the near future, though demand for tournament accessibility clearly runs high.
Other NJ mobile gambling options
Party Poker also launched a real money casino app, which offers a full range of casino style games. The mobile casino app can be downloaded by following this link.
888 Poker and WSOP-com have also released real-money mobile poker apps for players in NJ.
Ultimate Casino has released an app for casino, but nothing for poker as of yet.
Borgata Poker, who is on the same network as Party Poker NJ, has not launched an app.
Party Poker is the software provider for Borgata, so players should not be surprised to see any future app released by Borgata Poker bearing only aesthetic differences.
Party Poker NJ Rolls Out Real Money Online Poker App For iPad, iPhone
PartyPoker NJ mobile: Player experience and features
When you load up the app you have the option to either click on real money, fast forward, play money or preview.
The real money games are fairly straightforward. Players have the option to play up to $25/$50 while fast forward allows play up to $5/$10.
The gameplay experience at these tables is surprisingly good, featuring crisp and clean graphics.
Downsides of PartyPoker NJ’s mobile app
In a rather disappointing move, when players attempt to play on the play money tables they are hit with a message that states “Coming Soon – Play money games are currently unavailable and will be added soon.”
Another drawback is that the app is currently lacking the ability to play in tournaments and sit & go’s.
When this reviewer tested out Party Poker’s NJ mobile client, there was no information available within the app about those features being added in the near future, though demand for tournament accessibility clearly runs high.
Other NJ mobile gambling options
Party Poker also launched a real money casino app, which offers a full range of casino style games. The mobile casino app can be downloaded by following this link.
888 Poker and WSOP-com have also released real-money mobile poker apps for players in NJ.
Ultimate Casino has released an app for casino, but nothing for poker as of yet.
Borgata Poker, who is on the same network as Party Poker NJ, has not launched an app.
Party Poker is the software provider for Borgata, so players should not be surprised to see any future app released by Borgata Poker bearing only aesthetic differences.
Party Poker NJ Rolls Out Real Money Online Poker App For iPad, iPhone
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
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Majorities of all partisans favor allowing Americans to play online poker, but independents who lean Republican were even more likely to favor (75 percent) allowing people to play online poker and Democrats were the least likely to favor (58 percent). Regular Republicans (66 percent), non-partisan Independents (68 percent) and independent-leaning Democrats (65 percent) also favor legalizing online poker.
Lower-income Americans and those with a high school degree or less are most likely to favor banning online gambling (41 percent), but still 56 percent would favor legalization. In comparison, only 21 percent of post-graduates and 31 percent of high income Americans favor the ban, (73 percent and 66 percent favor legalization respectively).
Support for legalized online gambling decline with age; roughly 70 percent Americans under 55 favor legalization compared to 56 percent of those over 55.
65 Percent of Americans Say Online Poker Should Be Allowed - Reason-Rupe Surveys : Reason-com